Representatives of the
Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) sat for a meeting yesterday
with local residents in Mong Kung Township to discuss a controversial coal-mining
project in the area, which is located in Loilem
district in southern Shan State.

According to Sao Ekka Sina, a
Buddhist monk representing villagers who oppose the mine, the RCSS/SSA representatives
asked the local people to clarify whether they were against the project and
why.

“We spoke with Lt-Col Sai Sarm,
Maj Saw Jing and Sai Toon from the RCSS/SSA,” said Sao Ekka Sina. “They wanted
to know the background to last month’s protest.”

On April 11, more than4,000 residentsin Mong Kung staged a demonstration against the
Pyae Aung Hein and Hein Mitter coal-mining companies, claiming that the mining operations
would cause grave environmental destruction and impact the livelihoods
of local people.

Sao Ekka Sina, who was one of
the demonstration organizers, told Shan Herald that the RCSS/SSA
representatives said yesterday that they were not taking sides with either the
villagers or the mining firms, but instead felt it was their responsibility to listen
to local opinions. They told the village assembly that they would also listen
to the mining companies’ perspective.

“We told them [RCSS/SSA] that
we strongly disagree with the mining project,” the monk said. “We have had discussions
with the company managers and they agreed to cease operations and move out of the area by May 13. We told them that if
they continued mining we would resume our protests.”

“The RCSS/SSA has a duty to protect the people,”
said Sai Long, an MP from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) representing
Mong Kung Township, who attended yesterday’s meeting. “However, the RCSS/SSA
representatives told the villagers that they can only intervene if their
superiors order it.”

The central government in
Naypyidaw granted permission to the Pyae Aung Hein and Hein Mitter companies to
launch the coal-mining projects in Mong Kung in 2014. Their operations were soon
suspended due to local people’s opposition, but earlier this year, they
restarted work on the sites.